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Does New Zealand Make Wines from Pinot Noir?

by mywinepal • May 24, 2016 • Comments Off on Does New Zealand Make Wines from Pinot Noir?

Yes, Pinot Noir is the signature red wine grape for New Zealand, and Sauvignon Blanc is their signature white grape. I asked this question as Sauvignon Blanc can get most of the world’s attention with its greater extent of vines (at 20,497 ha as of 2015), compared to the next largest production of Pinot Noir at 5,514 ha. Pinot Noir is grown on both the North and South Islands, with distinct differences in aromatics and flavours from the more northerly, warmer areas in areas such as Martinborough in Wairarapa, compared to cooler, southern areas, such as Central Otago. The Great New Zealand Wine Tiki Tour passed through Vancouver recently, and I tried both Sauvignon Blanc as well as Pinot Noir wines. I wrote about my Sauvignon Blanc experience in this article, but now I would like to recommend some nice Kiwi Pinot Noir wines you may want to enjoy this summer.

After writing about the differences in Pinot Noir depending on latitude in New Zealand, I looked at my recommended list, and all but one recommendation is from the large Marlborough region. I was a bit shocked and looked at the list of all participating wineries, and most were from Marlborough. The few that were from places such as Hawke’s Bay, did not offer any Pinot Noir to try. Hopefully the next time the Kiwis visit us, they will show off the variations of Pinot Noir which we can all enjoy and embrace.

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Drink Good Wine. That is my motto and I really want to help you drink good wine. What is good wine? That can be a different thing for each people. Food also loves wine so I also cover food and wine pairings and restaurant reviews.
MyWinePal was started by Karl Kliparchuk, WSET. I spent many years with the South World Wine Society as the President and then cellar master. I love to travel around the world, visiting wine regions and sharing my passion for food & wine with you. Come live vicariously through me, and enjoy all my recommended wines.